Beyond Potato Chips: The Year's Top 5 Crunches

We love savory snacks here in the Test Kitchen. We've covered lots of potato chips this past year, so now, we're looking back at our favorite crunchy non-spud salty and sweet treats. In 2011, we saw a glut of gluten-free goods on top of the usual suspects. And you know what? Some of them were really good. Here are 5 Test Kitchen favorites, including some wheat-free options:

All-natural and protein-packed, these shell-shaped crunches are made with gluten-free ingredients. We're torn between the heartier hummus variety and the crackly lentil one-and we've discovered, empty bag after empty bag, that they're both totally irresistible.

You know that amazing smell of fresh onions caramelizing in butter? That's what these thin crisps taste like. Nancy Potter bakes these organic artisan crackers in Madison, Wisconsin and her cooks actually chop the onions by hand.

Honestly, this sounded gross-caramel corn and cheese corn in a single bag. Turns out it's awesome. The sweet stuff's made by hand in copper kettles and the savory is made with real melted cheddar. No fake powder here. Best of all, both flavors stay super crisp and light, even when mixed in the bag...and our mouths.

As much as we love salt, we've got sweet tooths too. We've been big fans of Tate's crunchy thin chocolate chip cookies for years. And their new rice flour variety tastes much like the original. If you need a gluten-free cookie, this is the one to get.

For 10% off Tate's gluten-free cookies through January 2012, enter promo code "Good Housekeeping" on their online order form.Editor's note: Tate's Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies were included in the round-up before Tate's offered a discount to our readers. Its inclusion is unrelated to the discount.